Valve



Patented Apr. 19, 1938 FIE VALVE sey Application May 20, 1935, Serial No. 22,383

4 Claims.

This invention relates generally to liquid cutoff valves, and more particularly to valves which are adapted to cut oif predetermined quantities of liquid with great accuracy and in which the accurate amount is not changed by subsequent dripping.

The invention is applicable with equal facility to manually operated valves and valves operated by other means, for example, by a solenoid coil similar to the modification shown in the drawing.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of improved means for cutting off the flow of a liquid.

Another object is the provision of an improvement in the configuration of a valve plunger.

Another object is the provision of an improved configuration valve plunger seat; and,

Still another object is the provision of improved means for retaining liquid adhering to the external parts of the valve to prevent the formation of drops.

These, and other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description in which reference is had to the accompanying drawing wherein similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing:-

Figure I is a side elevational view of my improved valve and a solenoid coil operating mechanism sectioned through their centers on section line II of Figure III.

Figure II is an enlarged fragmentary View of the cut-01f plunger and seat showing their improved structure and configuration; and,

Figure III is an end elevational view of the device shown in Figure I.

Referring to the drawing in detail:

The valve per se comprises a housing 1, con sisting of a bottom member 2 and a top member 3 secured to each other. A plunger Q, located within the assembled housing I, is guided in the lower half by a frame-like portion 5 which has an aperture through which the plunger i passes. The upper end of the plunger 4 is provided with a tenon 5 which enters a reamed hole i in the interior of the upper portion 3 of the housing i. An annular slot 8, which encircles the upper end of the plunger 4, is entered by a finger 9. This finger 9 is studded into a semispherical member II! which, together with a similar semispherical member I located on the opposite side of a liquid proof diaphragm l2, to which both members are clamped, forms a pivot for the operating arm 53. The sphere formed by the members I0 and H, is mounted for limited universal movement in seats formed by the upper portion 3 of the housing I and a screw bushing it threaded in a flange member l5, which serves to clamp the diaphragm l2 to the upper portion 3 of the housing I. A look nut I6 is provided to lock the bushing [4 in adiusted position. This construction is well known in valves and it is deemed that a more detailed description is superfluous. That portion of the operating arm l3 which projects outwardly, beyond the edge of the bushing I4 is engaged by a link I! whose lower end is clamped thereto and whose upper end pivotally engages an operating lever l8 pivoted at l9 between the bifurcations of a boss 20. A spring 2! which engages the operating lever on the opposite side of the fulcrum I9 and an aperture 22 in a portion of the housing I serves, through the mechanism hereinbefore described, to hold the plunger 3 in its closed position. 1

When the valve is intended to be manually operated the operating arm I3 is provided with a handle (not shown) and if it is intended to be controlled by electric means a mechanism as shown in Figure I may be supplied. This mechanism is well known and comprises generally a solenoid coil 23 and'an armature 24, the armature 24 having a cylindrical projection 25 adapted to engage the bottom of an. operating plunger 26 whose upper end engages the lower edge of the operating lever 18.

Energization of the solenoid coil 23 will cause the armature 24 to be raised and the cylindrical projection 25 to push the plunger 26 upwardly against the lever l8 causing this to turn about its axis l9 and depress the operating arm l3, pivoting this member in its substantially spherical seat and raising the plunger 4 by means of the finger 9, permitting liquid which is flowing through a pipe 21 entering the side of the housing I, to flow through an aperture 28 in the bottom of the housing l.

The lower end. of the plunger '4 is provided with a beveled portion 29 adapted to contact (see Figure II) a narrow beveled valve seat 30 in a plate 38. This seat, as is usual in construction of this type, is ground so as to form a liquid proof closure with the plunger. It is preferably made narrow to minimize the liability of lodgment of particles which might prevent the plunger from engaging the seat tightly. For a purpose which will hereinafter become clear, an auxiliary drip preventing ring or perforated plate 3| is provided. This ring or plate 3|, as well as the seat plate 30, is retained by means of a screw cap 32 to the lower portion 2 of the body 5. A gasket 33 is preferably interposed between the flange of the screw cap and the auxiliary drip preventing ring 3 I.

The lower end of the plunger 4 is extended a substantial distance below the lower edge of the 4 seat in the seat plate 30. The bevel of this extension is a continuation of the bevel 29, hereinbefore referred to, and the extension is provided with a cylindrical portion 35 of such diameter that in cooperation with the edges of the Wall of the opening or cylindrical outlet 28 it will shear the liquid flowing through the valve, especially such liquids which have a high degree of viscosity, for example, varnish, oxidized oil, paints, lacquers and similar materials. I preferably make this extension in the form of a separate piece 35, such as a disk, which is attached to the lower end of the plunger by a screw 36, for the reason, as I have found, the clearance between the cylindrical portion 34 and the wall of the opening or cylindrical outlet 28 in the ring 3| should be proportioned to the viscosity of the liquid to be handled by the valve and such clearance must be determined by experimentation.

In valves of this type, especially when they are used to determine quantities of liquids in connection with a weighing process, the material which adheres to the bottom of the valve accumulates and drops off either into the filled container, the weight of which has been determined thus destroying the accuracy of the weight, or it drops after the container has been removed causing a messy condition on the weighing platform. As an aid in preventing the dripping of the material adhering to the bottom of the plunger the drip preventing ring 3! is provided with an opening the Wall of which is beveled to parallel the bevel of the plunger 4 but is made of a size so that there is a slight clearance between its face and the face of the bevel of the plunger. This clearance by capillary attraction holds that portion of the liquid adhering to the beveled surface. Furthermore I have found that by breaking up the surfaces, to which liquid might adhere, by raised portions, such as, the narrow circular skirt 31, and the head of the screw 36 defining these by sharp edges the film is broken up into portions having smaller surfaces so that the surface tension of the liquid is sufficient to retain such adhering portion and prevent formation of drops.

The embodiment of my invention herein shown and described is to be regarded as illustrative only, and it is to be understood that the invention is susceptible to variation, modification and change within the spirit and scope of the subjoined claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, in combination, means for controlling the flow of a liquid comprising a seat plate having a circular hole, said hole having a beveled wall, a plunger having a beveled portion to rest on the beveled wall of said hole for closing said hole and a portion extending through said hole, a drip preventing plate having a circular hole with a similar beveled wall and a cylindrical outlet mounted below said seat plate and cooperating with said extending portion of said plunger to form an annular capillary chamber to hold liquid adhering to said extending portion of said plunger, said plunger having a disk-like projection on its lower end extending through said cylindrical outlet to exert shearing action upon such liquid and said plunger and drip preventing plate having surfaces divided by projections having sharp contours into portions of small areas incapable of retaining adhering liquids in sufficient quantities to cause the formation of drops.

2. A valve for discharging liquids having an outlet surrounded by a beveled valve seat, and a plunger having a beveled face movable into tight engagement with said seat, said outlet being surrounded on the discharge side of said seat with a cylindrical surface and said plunger having a cylindrical portion which when the beveled face of said plunger is in tight engagement with said seat projects beyond the discharge side of said seat and lies closely adjacent to but out of engagement with said cylindrical surface to form an annular opening of capillary width capable of retaining liquid the flow of which has been cut off by engagement of the beveled face of said plunger with said seat, the end of said plunger projecting on the discharge side of said seat beyond the annular opening when the beveled face of the plunger is engaged with the seat, there being a narrow skirt surrounding said annular opening at the discharge side of said cylindrical surface, said skirt lying closely adjacent to but out of engagement with the projecting end of said plunger to form an extension of said annular opening of capillary width, the discharge end of said skirt being surrounded by an annular groove, the tip of said plunger being divided into small areas meeting at sharp corners.

3. A valve for discharging liquids having an outlet surrounded by a beveled valve seat, and a plunger having a beveled face movable into tight engagement with said seat, said outlet being surrounded on the discharge side of said seat with a cylindrical surface and said plunger having a cylindrical portion which when the beveled face of said plunger is in tight engagement with said seat projects beyond the discharge side of said seat and lies closely adjacent to but out of engagement with said cylindrical surface to form an annular opening of capillary width capable of retaining liquid the flow of which has been cut off by engagement of the beveled face of said plunger with said seat, the end of said plunger projecting on the discharge side of said seat beyond the annular opening when the beveled face of the plunger is engaged with the seat, there being a narrow skirt surrounding said annular opening at the discharge side of said cylindrical surface, said skirt lying closely adjacent to but out of engagement with the projecting end of said plunger to form an extension of said annular opening of capillary width, the discharge end of said skirt being surrounded by an annular groove.

4. A valve for discharging liquids having an outlet surrounded by a beveled valve seat, and a plunger having a beveled face movable into tight engagement with said seat, said outlet being surrounded on the discharge side of said seat with a cylindrical surface and said plunger having a cylindrical portion which when the beveled face of said plunger is in tight engagement with said seat projects beyond the discharge side of said seat and lies closely adjacent to but out of engagement with said cylindrical surface to form an annular opening of capillary width capable of retaining liquid the flow of which has been cut off by engagement of the beveled face of said plunger with said seat, the end of said plunger projecting on the discharge side of said seat beyond the annular opening when the beveled face of the plunger is engaged with the seat, there being a narrow skirt surrounding said annular opening at the discharge side of said cylindrical surface, said skirt lying closely adjacent to but out of engagement with the projecting end of said plunger to form an extension of said annular opening of capillary width.

FREDERICK WILLIAM GILCHRIST. 

